A friend asked me to read this recent book (2024) by Mark D. Hall, a professor in the School of Government at Regent University. The book is helpful in some areas, a bit too shallow in others, and outright deficient in one.

Let me begin by summarizing Hall’s central thesis: Christian Nationalism is an unchristian, undemocratic position that serious followers of Jesus should reject; yet, it is a small, obscure minority with little influence. Consequently, it does not pose a threat to America or the church.

Hall is very helpful in sorting through some of the current literature and data on Christian Nationalism. Some studies suggest that nearly 52% of Americans “embrace fully or partially the toxic ideology they [the researchers] call Christian Nationalism.” Hall exposes the flawed methodology behind that number and other similar surveys. Essentially, if someone believed America was founded as a Christian nation and believed prayer should be allowed in schools, they were counted as sympathetic to Christian nationalism. But, that could include a Muslim who thought that, as a matter of historical record, America had Christian roots and that prayer, including Islamic prayer, should be allowed in schools, in the 52% – even if the person responding wasn’t a Christian or had no Christian agenda.

Hall’s research puts the number closer to 20%. More on that below.

Hall also does a good job of exposing some of the literature on Christian nationalism as more polemical than serious scholarship. There is certainly a bias against Christians and Christians who would let their faith inform their view of government/politics in any way. This bias, and the fear of Christian Nationalism, colors a good bit of the literature.

Hall also looks at some of the key proponents of Christian Nationalism, namely Doug Wilson and Stephen Wolfe. He finds both of these authors’ works troubling, but considers them fringe. Therein lies a huge deficiency in Hall’s book. He limits his discussion of the movement and its key proponents to published works. He ignores ENTIRELY how Christian nationalism, in its more virulent forms, has spread through social media and across the internet. Wilson’s books may not have a considerable reach, but how about his YouTube channel and X account? How is it that some of the most disgusting Christian Nationalists have hundreds of thousands of followers on the X accounts? Or that higher-ups in government are reposting clips (approvingly) of Wilson and his associate pastors stating women shouldn’t vote and the 19th Amendment should be repealed.

Additionally, I think Hall’s book is far too shallow to be helpful in his articulation of why Christians should reject Christian Nationalism and his chapter on how Christians should enter the public square. He may respond that this isn’t the main thrust of the book, which I get. However, if you are going to delve into that topic, a few pages of surface-level engagement are not enough.

Coming back to his 20% number. Hall’s research puts the number closer to 20%, and is the basis for Hall’s conclusion that it is not a significant issue. However, as a pastor, I am deeply concerned by this. If 20% of Americans embrace this toxic sludge that is Christian Nationalism, that’s 68 million Americans. I want to ask, “Where are those 68 million Americans related to the church?” Hall points out that a good number of them aren’t pious churchgoers at all. But even if we cut that in half to 34 million, where are they? Certainly not in the liberal, mainline churches. Some are in the Catholic church. But that would leave a healthy number in the evangelical church. If roughly 30 million of the 68 million Christian Nationalists are part of the evangelical church, that represents almost half of the evangelicals. That is a problem for the church!